Flame beneath ashes
by nightchild78
Summary: AU. After the events of Countrycide, Ianto was retconned and allowed to start a new life in London. Intervening accidentally in a burning building, it's a very different man Jack meets four years later. But can Ianto really escape his own destiny? Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. "Exit wounds" and "Children of Earth" are only mentioned as incidents and "Miracle Day", never happened.
1. Amongst eight million people

**Title : **Flame beneath ashes - Chapter 1 : Amongst eight million people  
**Summary : **AU. After the events of _Countrycide,_ Ianto was retconned and allowed to start a new life in London. Intervening accidentally in a burning building, it's a very different man Jack meets four years later. But can Ianto really escape his own destiny?

**Rating :** T  
**Characters: **Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Myfanwy, Original characters.

**Pairing :** Jack/Ianto, Owen/Tosh, Gwen/Rhys (mentioned), Ianto/Lisa (past)  
**Genres: **Alternate universe/action/romance.  
**Warnings: **Violence, swearing, sexual situation (nothing graphic), character's death (temporary)

**Spoilers: **Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. _Exit wounds _and _Children of Earth _are only mentioned as incidents and _Miracle Day, _of course, never happened.  
**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes **: Special thanks to my wonderful beta reader welsh_scotsman. This story is dedicated to my beloved and missed Uncle Georges who was a devoted volunteer fireman.

**Chapter 1 : Amongst eight million people**

_London, June 8th 2010_

Focusing on his surroundings, the first thought that crossed Jack's mind, when he regained consciousness, was that he was in a hospital. The second one was that he had to clear off as soon as possible, before he began to attract attention with his uncanny ability to recover.

He tried to take a deep breath, but it was as if his lungs were full of lead and a faint groan escaped from his throat. He blinked several times to clear his vision and made out a white ceiling stained by dampness over him. He tried to move his hands and feet and was relieved to feel them intact and free.

The sound of an ambulance coming from the outside confirmed his first assumption, but he still hadn't a clue of how he had ended up in it.

With caution, he ran his fingers over his face and felt a cannula carrying oxygen in his nose.

All of a sudden, he remembered.

He had come to London for a UNIT meeting. At the end of the day, he had been going back to his hotel when he had come across a burning building and at least three fire brigades struggling to tame the flames. It had taken him only one minute to understand that the situation was hopeless. The fire was raging and half of the building was about to collapse. The man in charge was obviously too young and overwhelmed by the events. When he had heard that one of the firemen was still on the building, he hadn't hesitated. Without a thought, he had rushed into the building and found the guy limping on the first floor's stairs. He had picked him up over his shoulder and reached the exit with him. The last thing he had seen before losing consciousness had been a bunch of fire fighters screaming and running to meet them.

He took another breath, only to be stuck by a coughing fit and tried to remove the cannula from his nose.

"Wouldn't do that if I was you, " said a voice near him.

Jack froze in disbelief, his heartbeat raising in high speed at the sound of this unmistakable deep voice tinged with a welsh accent. He turned his head slowly, running his eyes over the room.

He was in a two bed room, but the second bed was empty, its occupant leaning against the frame of the open window, his face half turned towards the outside as he blew the smoke of his cigarette. The man was still wearing his outfit of fire fighter and his face was smeared with soot, so Jack guessed he was the one he had come out of the building with earlier.

Despite the back light of the setting sun, he knew only too well who this man was. Even if he'd wanted to, he couldn't have forgotten him. He was the man he had wiped two years of memories, four years ago, in order to save his life. A man he had thought he would never see anymore, though he hadn't been able to forget him. This man was the former Torchwood One and Three's operative Ianto Jones.

He took a few seconds to look at him carefully. Except for a shorter haircut and a three-days stubble, he didn't seem so different from the man he used to know. He looked older of course, more mature, but his blue eyes were still as clear as crystal. The smile on his face was still devastating and Jack felt a rush of desire which he quickly tried to suppress whilst his eyes kept roaming along his muscular chest showed off by his tight black long sleeve tshirt.

Jack swore inwardly.

_Amongst eight million people why did it have to be you ? _

"The nurses are going to have your head, if you remove it," went on Ianto, letting out one last smoky breath.

"I think they're going to have yours first for smoking in a hospital," replied Jack, finally snapping out of it. He sat up and took off the canule.

Ianto shook his head, stubbed out his cigarette on the window ledge and put the butt back into the packet.

"No risk," he said, closing the window and fully turning his face towards Jack. "I've been around here for a long time. I know all the nurses by their names and all of them have a crush on me."

He moved towards Jack cautiously, hopping and leaning on the wall.

"They're gonna come to check us soon," Ianto informed him.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, he held out his hand to the older man.

"Jones. Ianto Jones."

He stared at Jack, obviously waiting for him to introduce himself. Jack hesitated a moment. He could still give him a false name, but he needed to be sure Ianto didn't remember him.

"Captain Jack Harkness."

Ianto's features didn't show any sign of recollection.

"Nice to meet you Captain Harkness," he replied with a genuine smile.

A shiver run along Jack's spine as they shook hands. _You stole my line Ianto Jones. _

"Captain? Which army corps?" asked Ianto as he settled against the pillow and lifted his leg with a wince.

"US Air Force actually."

"Oh. Well, it explains the accent. Anyway, thank you Captain Harkness. I owe you one," said Ianto, pointing at his swollen ankle.

"Is it nasty?" asked Jack with concern.

Ianto shook his head and smiled again.

"No. It's just sprained. I got a lot worse. In fact, the most injured of the two of us is you. I have to say that what you did was very stupid, you know. Fire fighters are the ones who save people from fires, not the ones who are saved by civilians."

"I'm not exactly a civilian," replied Jack

"Nevertheless what you did was stupid. Stupid and dangerous. I was wearing my gear whereas you didn't have any equipment. You could have suffocated. You almost did, by the way," went on Ianto sternly.

"Strange way to say 'thank you'," chuckled Jack, shaking his head. Ianto's expression softened.

"Don't misunderstand me, Captain. I'm grateful, really. But just promise me you won't do it again. The next time, you might not be so lucky."

"Cross my heart," swore Jack half joking. _You don't know half of the truth about me, Ianto._

"Didn't you have enough smoke earlier ?" teased Jack in order to change the subject, pointing at the packet of cigarettes still on Ianto's hand

Ianto looked slightly embarrassed and cleared his throat, tossing the packet on the beside table.

"Yeah, I know it's a bad habit, but I never succeeded in stopping."

He added with a chuckle, "I suppose I lack motivation."

_You did it once, when I asked you to. You just don't remember it. As you don't remember me._

Jack felt his heart sank. He had cared for Ianto, more than he wanted to admit. Letting him go had been very painful. Having done it for Ianto's sake didn't mean it had been easy. But what else could he have done?

Jack sighed inwardly. His mind drifted back to that fateful night after the Brecon Beacons which would stay engraved in his mind forever. When Ianto had almost died. For the second time.

Jack closed his eyes and let the past surface.

_To be continued_


	2. One life for another one

**Title : **Flame beneath ashes - Chapter 2 : One life for another one

**Summary : **AU. After the events of _Countrycide,_ Ianto was retconned and allowed to start a new life in London. Intervening accidentally in a burning building, it's a very different man Jack meets four years later. But can Ianto really escape his own destiny?

**Rating :**T

**Characters: **Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Myfanwy, Original characters.

**Pairing :** Jack/Ianto, Owen/Tosh, Gwen/Rhys (mentioned), Ianto/Lisa (past)  
**Genres: **Alternate universe/action/romance.

**Warnings: **Violence, swearing, sexual situation (nothing graphic), character's death (temporary)

**Spoilers: **Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. _Exit wounds _and _Children of Earth _are only mentioned as incidents and _Miracle Day, _of course, never happened

**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes **: Special thanks to my wonderful beta reader welsh_scotsman who is always there when I need her and to the lovely readers who took time to review and favorite. Here is the second chapter. I couldn't wait to post it. Hope you'll like it.

TW TW TW TW

**Chapter 2 : One life for another one**

Jack could never forget the night following their disastrous trip to the Brecon Beacons, where he had found Ianto slumped on the dampened floor of a basement room - the same place he had hidden Lisa for months.

A gun pressed against his temple and tears streaming down his face, the young man had literally begged him on his knees.

"Please, make it end... Pain so constant, like my stomach's full of rats. Feels like this is all I am now. There isn't an inch of me that doesn't hurt. Please, Jack, help me... Make it end, please."

By the look on his face, Jack had known he didn't have any other choice. It was too late. After Canary Wharf and Lisa's death, the cannibals had been the last straw and Ianto was now broken beyond repair. All Jack could have done had been to call Owen for help and cradled Ianto in his arms until the medic arrived. He'd come less than ten minutes later, dishevelled and barely awake, having obviously broken all the speed limits on his way. Owen could be the world's biggest prat sometimes, but when it was about his patients, the only watchwords were reliability and efficiency.

Jack and he hadn't uttered a word, contenting to instead nodding to each other, before Owen withdrew quickly into his lair. Whilst he had been working out the right amount of Retcon necessary for erasing Ianto's memory since he had joined Torchwood One without turning him into a vegetable, Jack had tried his best to comfort the young man, promising him that everything would be alright and he would soon have a new life, freed from pain and sorrow.

When Owen had come back with the pills, a glass and a bottle of scotch, Ianto had suddenly relaxed in his arms as if he was relieved that the choice was taken out of his hands and his torments, at last, came to an end. Being retconned was better than a bullet to the head or to spend the rest of your life in a psychiatric hospital. It had been heartbreaking to see Ianto's utter gratitude when he had given him the pills. He had held him close until the drug started to have an effect. After Ianto had finally passed out and with one last kiss on his forehead, he had left him in the care of Owen and spent the rest of the night and the following morning on a rooftop, leaving the rest of the team to deal with the aftermath.

None of them had complained, though. They knew Jack felt personally responsible for the members of his team and they had already seen how he had been affected by Suzie's betrayal and her suicide. Losing Ianto had been another bitter defeat. Even more painful, considering they had been intimate. Well, he had thought they were intimate. Events had proved him wrong.

From Jack's point of view, he had failed. Ianto was barely more than a kid. A frightened and devastated kid struggling to stick back together the shattered pieces of his life. Jack was convinced he should have been more careful, more perceptive. He was Torchwood's leader, for God's sake. He should have seen the signs and tried to help him in any way. Instead, he had let himself be distracted by his attraction to the young Welshman. To know it was exactly what Ianto had been aiming for hadn't been a consolation.

He had been silent for a long time and he realized that Ianto might take his musings as a sign of dismissal.

He could already felt the Vortex energy running through his veins and his strength slowly coming back. Soon, he would be able to get up and leave. A little voice in his head told him that it was high time that he left, but he wasn't ready yet. He caught himself wanting to know more about what had happened to Ianto since he left Torchwood, and not only by means of impersonal reports. He needed to be sure they had made the right decision.

He looked at Ianto surreptitiously.

"So you're a fireman," he said in order to revive the conversation.

"Yep," answered Ianto with a large smile. « For three years now. »

"Family tradition?" asked Jack, eager to learn more about the man he had become.

Ianto shook his head and let out a snort.

"No. Not at all. My father worked in Debenhams and never approached a fire truck in his entire life."

Jack frown. Debenhams? Ianto had always told them his father was a master tailor. It seemed that it was another part of Ianto's life he had faked and Jack wondered if there had been only one (any)thing true about the young man he had met at Bute Park

Unaware of Jack's bemusement, Ianto carried on.

"In fact, my first job had nothing to do with the fire fighters. I used to be a linguist."

Jack pulled a sceptical face. "Really?"

Ianto smirked.

"Really. Believe it or not, but I can speak at least six different languages."

"Really?" repeated Jack, who knew perfectly well it was the truth. Not only did Ianto have an eidetic memory, but he also had predisposition for foreign languages, not to mention some alien dialects too.

"_Parfaitement, Monsieur_," replied Ianto with a challenging tone. "I speak fluently French, Italian, German, Spanish, Russian and a dash of Japanese. Aside from Welsh, of course."

"Because you're Welsh? I'd never have guessed," teased Jack playfully.

Ianto glared at him through his eyelashes, still smiling. "Are you really interested in what I say or are you just making fun of me?"

"Ok, ok, I'll stop it," said Jack, raising his hands in a fake defensive posture. "So what made you give up linguistics for fire trucks and big ladders?"

Ianto's smile faltered and his features darkened.

"The company I used to work for was in the Torchwood Tower," he answered simply, as if it explained everything.

And in a way, it did. Like the World Trade Center before it, the Torchwood Tower had become a symbol of death and destruction for most people and the ones who had been involved in its destruction were still deeply marked, physically and mentally.

"The terrorist attack?" asked Jack, for form's sake, sticking to the official version provided by UNIT after the Torchwood One debacle.

"Yes," sighed Ianto, running his fingers through his hair.

"Were you..."

"No," answered Ianto, his eyes fixed on an invisible point somewhere on the opposite wall. "I was on sick leave when it happened, but my fiancée was in the building at that time."

A veil of sadness clouded the crystal of his eyes and he let out a breath: "She died."

A vision of Ianto, covered of blood and cradling the corpse of his dead girlfriend passed before Jack's eyes, as a smell of powder assaulted his nostrils.

"I'm sorry," said Jack quietly. He knew it was derisory, but he really meant it. He cleared his throat and asked : "Is it the reason you became a fireman?"

"Yes... No... Well, not exactly."

Ianto shook his head and tried to gather his thoughts. It was still hard to talk about it, but there was something in the Captain that encouraged confidence, and he carried on :

"After the attack, staying at London was unbearable, so I went back to Wales. I found a job as a civil servant at Cardiff's tourist office and did it for almost a year, until I had an car accident." He paused. "I was on my way to visit friends at London when I lost control of my car and crashed against a pillar. Bang!"

He clapped his hands together and the sound of it echoed grimly through the room.

"But once again my lucky stars were watching over me, because though my car had been totally wrecked, when I woke up at Saint Helen's Hospital, after three days in a coma, I was miraculously unharmed. With a little exception though : almost two years of my life were missing. The doctors named it PTS - retrograde amnesia. A fancy way to say I can't remember anything that happened to me between being hired by the company after Uni and the accident."

Jack stayed silent as Ianto finished relating almost word for word the scenario tied up by Tosh and Owen in order to explain Ianto's loss of memory. Saint Helen's Hospital was affiliated with UNIT, so it hadn't been too hard to get their collaboration. He knew only too well how Ianto must have felt when he had woken up with such a gap in his life and felt sorry for that.

He glanced at him and refrained from reaching out towards him.

"It must have been awful," said Jack, his voice quiet and sympathetic.

"Yes, at first." Ianto shrugged. "It drove me crazy : I remembered meeting Lisa, living with her, I felt the pain of her lost, but I haven't a clue of what it had been to hear of her death or how her funeral had looked like. I was unable to say what my life was like when I lived in Cardiff. All I knew was what people said to me."

He paused and looked at Jack.

"It felt so unreal, like when you wake up from a nightmare and all that remains of it is that feeling in your guts that something terrible had happened to you."

"Have you regained some memories since then ?"

"None. Apparently, it's a defensive reflex of my mind, the only way it has found to move on." Ianto sighed and his fingers played absently with the seam of the pocket where his cigarettes were hidden. "My grandmother was convinced that everything that happened to you has a reason to. I'm inclined to share her opinion, so I tried to figure out why it happened to me and decided it was time for making some changes in my life to make it more... useful."

"Very praiseworthy."

Ianto shrugged his shoulders.

"At first I wanted to go into medicine, but the tuition fees were prohibitive. I didn't have any grants, a part-time job wasn't enough and a full-time job incompatible, so I had to give up."

Jack cursed inwardly. He had provided a certain amount of money to Ianto in order to help him to start a new life, but it hadn't come into his mind that the young man might want to go back to study. He had just assumed that he would return to his former job of linguist.

"For a moment I was considering becoming a paramedic, then one of my friend told me I should try to join the firemen... _et voilà_," said Ianto with a large smile, spreading his arms.

"Don't you ever regret it?" Jack wanted to know.

"Not for a second. The guys I work with are great, the job is exciting and for the first time of my life, as much as I can remember, I feel like it has a meaning."

Hearing those words, Jack's heart tightened. At least, Ianto sounded genuinely happy. No one deserved more to be happy than him. He had suffered so much in his short life. All Jack could do was to hope that what they had done hadn't been useless and he had offered him a better life.

There were still so many things he wanted to know about him.

_Do you have someone in you life ? Are you married ? Engaged ? Do you have children? Want to? _

He was about to ask more questions, when the door slammed open and half a dozen of people surged into the room in a joyful din. All of them were wearing the same outfit as Ianto, so Jack assumed they were his colleagues. They headed straight for Ianto's bed and surrounded it, laughing and joking.

"Hey Jones!" shouted out a guy built like tank. "How are you, mate?"

"I'm fine, Mike. I'm fine," answered Ianto sheepishly, squirming on his bed, uneasy being the centre of attention

A blonde girl threw her arms around his neck and gave him a passionate kiss, Jack's heart skipped a beat. Then, she took a step back and glared at Ianto, her arms crossed on her chest.

"Do it again Ianto and I swear I'm gonna kill you."

Ianto blushed and lowered his head before looking up with a smirk.

"I won't, Jennie. Word of honour," he promised, theatrically putting a hand over his heart.

The girl rolled her eyes and muttered : "As if I could trust you."

"Fucking hell, Jones. You scared us all stiff," said a thin black man, who punctuated his words with a thump on Ianto's shoulder.

"Eh! Take it easy Taylor," scolded the man called Mike with a grin. "No need to damage him even more."

"Come on Mike, he isn't made of glass," said Taylor defensively.

"Drop it, Mike," intervened Ianto in a smoothing tone, lifting his hand. "I told you I was fine. Except for a slightly sprained ankle, I'm perfectly unscathed. Thanks to Captain Harkness there."

He pointed to the bed nearby and his companions looked around only to turn back immediately. Ianto's smile fell from his face : the bed was empty and the crumpled sheets were the only sign that it had been occupied. He looked at his friends with dismay.

"Where'd he go? He was still here a moment ago," stuttered Ianto as he struggled to sit up.

"Calm down, Ianto," said Mike putting a hand onto his arm and forcing him to remain quiet. "Did he say something to you?"

"No, no. We were just talking whilst waiting for someone to come to check us."

"Maybe he's just gone for a walk in the corridor," suggested Mike. "He can't be far."

"Well, maybe he's just allergic to hospital," joked one of the firemen with a shrug, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

"Or, he's like Superman and he's gone to find a phone box in which he could change back into Clark Kent," added Taylor with a booming laugh.

Ianto pulled a face and leant back against his pillows, as his friends gathered around him and resumed their chatter, musing and joking about where his mysterious saviour could have disappear.

Lost in his thoughts, Ianto no longer listened to them. The image that came to his mind when he thought about the Captain Harkness had nothing to do with Superman. Without being able to explain it, it was more about Batman, standing on rooftop in the dead of night, driving a big black car and hiding himself into a sort of a Batcave.

Seeing he was still upset, Jennie leant towards him.

"Are you alright, love?" she asked him in a low voice.

Ianto nodded slowly.

"Yes, yes. I was just wondering..."

"What?"

"I don't know." He hesitated then changed his mind. He gave her a reassuring smile. "Leave it. I must be more tired than I thought."

She patted his hand and smiled softly.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'm sure he's fine."

Ianto squeezed her hand and smiled in return, but his smile faded as soon as he glanced at the empty bed beside him and he felt something prickling in the back of his mind.

_To be continued..._


	3. Little things that change eveything

**Title : **Flame beneath ashes - Chapter 3 : Those little things that change everything  
**Summary : **AU. After the events of _Countrycide,_ Ianto was retconned and allowed to start a new life in London. Intervening accidentally in a burning building, it's a very different man Jack meets four years later. But can Ianto really escape his own destiny?  
**Rating :**T  
**Characters: **Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Myfanwy, Original characters.  
**Pairing :** Jack/Ianto, Owen/Tosh, Gwen/Rhys (mentioned), Ianto/Lisa (past)  
**Genres: **Alternate universe/action/romance.  
**Warnings: **Violence, swearing, sexual situation (nothing graphic), character's death (temporary)  
**Spoilers: **Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. _Exit wounds _and _Children of Earth _are only mentioned as incidents and _Miracle Day, _of course, never happened  
**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes **: Special thanks to my wonderful beta reader welsh_scotsman. This chapter is a shorter than the previous one. It is mostly used to show how Ianto's departure has altered the events of the two first seasons for the others characters. Considering I'm hopelessly romantic, things are a lot different from the canon. I hope you'll like the changes.

TW TW TW TW TW

**Chapter 3 :Those little things that change everything**

_Cardiff, June 23rd 2010_

"We need to talk to Jack," said Toshiko, stretching lazily, as the last beams of the setting sun were bathing the bedroom with gold.

She turned on her side and pressed her back against Owen's chest, who wrapped his arms around her waist and smothered her bare shoulder with kisses.

"Owen...," she insisted when he didn't answer.

He breathed in the scent of her hair and let out a sigh of contentment. "We're gonna talk to him," he finally mumbled against her tanned skin still dampened from their love-making.

Tosh half turned her head towards him.

"When?"

Owen groaned, eyes closed, his forehead resting on the crook of her neck.

"Tomorrow. We'll talk to him tomorrow."

Tosh settled back and entwined their fingers. "I love you, Owen."

"I love you too," he whispered in return with another lingering kiss on her hair.

A few minutes later, Tosh was deeply asleep in his arms. Staring at the ceiling, Owen didn't sleep. He didn't know how Jack would react when he would hear the piece of news, and honestly he couldn't care less.

Tosh and he had been so close to death over the last couple of months, that his vision of life had been radically changed and nothing could force him to give up what they had.

The shattered scar adorning his chest was there to remind him, for the rest of his life, how everything could have ended on the car park of the Pharm. If it hadn't been Jack pushing him aside at the last moment and Martha stopping the haemorrhage from his perforated lung, he wouldn't be here anymore, let alone in the arms of this marvellous woman.

The palm of his hand stroked Tosh's perfect belly tenderly and he felt her skin shivered unconsciously under his touch. No scar was there to help him remember, but he didn't need it.

Owen wasn't a religious man. Though his mother had been a fervent Catholic, he hadn't put one foot in a church since he was a child. He didn't believe in God. The only things in which he believed were Science, his gun and most of all himself. Nevertheless, that day, when he had finally made his escape from Turnmill Nuclear Power Plant, after Tosh had told him how to vent the system into the control room to avoid the meltdown, he had prayed with all his strength. All along his way back to the Hub, whilst he was talking to her after she had been shot by Jack's brother, her voice becoming weaker at any minute, he had literally begged God to spare her and to give him another chance.

He would never forget the horrific vision he had seen, when he had hurtled down the medical bay at the same time Jack, Gwen and John Hart had emerged from the vaults, finding Tosh at the bottom of the stairs, in a pool of her own blood and scarcely breathing. The simple fact of thinking of it was enough to give him cold sweat.

Engulfed in his vain attempts to save her, he hadn't noticed Jack was gone until he had seen him coming back with a strange canister. Owen had never seen it before, and he had assumed it was something Jack had retrieved from the secured archives. Since Abaddon the two men had reached a certain level of mutual understanding and one look at Jack's face had been enough to stop Owen from asking questions. However, Gwen hadn't shown the same restraint and, in spite of the circumstances, had bombarded the Captain with questions.

"Nanogenes" had been the only word that had escaped Jack's lips, before he opened the canister and took a step back as a sparkling cloud of tiny golden fireflies escaped from it. Owen had looked in wonder whilst the so-called nanogenes slowly surrounded Tosh's body in a glowing aura, healing her wounds and leaving her alive and totally unharmed, before they retrieved meekly into the canister.

He hadn't a clue what those "nanogenes" could be nor where they came from and he didn't give a toss. He was just grateful to Jack for having used them, no matter how many protocols he had breached for that. From the moment Tosh had regained consciousness and raised her eyes towards him, he had sworn he wouldn't waste the chance which was given to him and wouldn't be a prat any longer.

A smile spread on his lips as he remembered how clumsy he had felt when he had finally asked her out on a date, two days after Gray's incident. He had felt like a perfect idiot, mumbling and stammering as if he was still fifteen years old. The result had been so appalling that he had half expected a refusal. Instead, she had contented to shake her head and chuckle, before asking him who he was and what he had done with the real Doctor Owen Harper. After she had finally agreed to go out with him, he had kept a dumb smile on his face for so long, that Jack had worried he had been poisoned by one of the plants of the lighthouse.

Surprisingly their first date at one of the best restaurants of the city, had gone like clockwork. At best, he had expected it to be awkward, if not a total disaster. He had been convinced he would mess up at some point, make one of his usual offensive remarks and kill the mood. But Tosh wasn't only a smart girl, she was also endowed with a dry-wit which could easily match his own. Something he could have known a lot sooner, if only he had gone to the trouble of scratching beneath the surface. All things considered, they had had a good time, and they had learnt more about each other in one evening than during the whole time they had worked together.

All he had planned, after that, had been a chaste kiss goodnight at the threshold of her flat, but he should have known things couldn't be so easy.

Throughout the years since Katie's death, he had obstinately refused to let anyone in. Sex just meant sex, No feelings, no emotions, no commitments. He didn't make love, he fucked. It was clear and unambiguous, almost… clinical, for lack of a better word.

If he was honest, Diane hadn't counted as much as he had wanted to pretend. Though he had tried to deny it, he had known from the beginning it wouldn't led anywhere and let it happen exactly for that reason. As for his sex-romps with Suzie and Gwen, they didn't even deserved the name of 'affairs'.

But Tosh was different, she wasn't only a potential girlfriend, she had also become one of his closest friends. Someone he could rely on and he didn't want to hurt.

As they were standing there, face to face in the dim light of the her entrance, questions had started to whirl in his head : was he ready to risk their friendship for something else? What could be that something else? Was it love? Was he ready to love again? What if he took the gamble and lost again? Was he ready to be hurt again? What if he disappointed her? What if…?

He had been about to chicken out and turn on his heel, when he had suddenly felt something click into place and realized that he already had all the answers. With one exception, though : wasn't it too late?

So, instead of letting her go, he had taken her face in his hands and tenderly kissed her lips, pouring into that kiss all the emotions he had held on for so long. Then, his eyes still closed, he had waited. But instead of the slap he was expecting, he had felt her taking a hold of his tie and giving him a fierce kiss that had left him breathless. His last restraint had fallen down and he had returned the kiss, wrapping his arms around her, as she fumbled to open the door and they stumbled inside the flat.

It hadn't only been their first night together, it had also been the night he had freed himself from his past.

After that, one thing had led to another, and they spent most of their spare time together. He couldn't even remember the exact moment he had finally moved into her flat or the last time he had slept in his. It had just felt… natural. In fact, the hardest part of it had been to keep their distances at work and pretend they were just friends.

Not that intimacy between colleagues was forbidden by Torchwood's regulations. There had been a plethora of cases in the past and Owen had himself crossed the line twice. No, the problem was mainly that sex at work wasn't something Jack looked favourably. And for a man with so few boundaries as regards to sex, that was quite something.

After Jack's discovery of Ianto's "secret" in the basement, the Captain had made it his duty to keep his hyperactive sexuality out of the Hub, with no exception. He had even stopped his flirtation with Gwen and it had been clear that he expected the same behaviour of his team by the way he had sent her back to Rhys' bed, after having found out she'd been sleeping out she was sleeping with Owen. Which, all things considered, was rather a good thing, given that Gwen and Rhys were now happily married, with a wonderful baby girl.

Moreover Owen had to admit that, after his disastrous affairs with Suzie _and _Gwen, he wasn't really keen on broadcasting his relationship with Tosh and that this situation had suited him until then. But now, he was aware things couldn't be left as they stood.

Of course Jack wouldn't jump for joy, but he wasn't really worried about his reaction. The immortal was now a very different man from the one he had met for the first time and if someone had asked him who Jack Harkness was to him, he would have willingly used the word 'friend' instead of 'boss'.

After they had opened the Rift and released Abaddon, it hadn't been a real surprise that Jack had left them without warning and none of them had expected him to come back. They had betrayed him, shot him and endangered the entire world, if not the whole universe. Who could have blamed him?

When he had finally shown up three months later in the middle of a stand-off with a blowfish, he wasn't the same man anymore. The bright smile and the leered comments were still there, for the facade, but something had been broken and looking into his eyes was now like looking in an abyss. None of them had dared to ask questions and even Gwen 'nosy' Cooper had kept her mouth sealed.

Even if he had never confided in them about his disappearance, Owen knew Jack had tried his best to be more open and honest with his team, since he had come back. That was one of the reasons he wanted to return the favour and tell him the truth face to face.

Soon things would became more complicated. Changes would have to be made. God knew he loved his job, but if he was forced to choose between Tosh and Torchwood, he would. With no regrets.

_To be continued_


	4. Déjà-vu

**Title : **Flame beneath ashes - Chapter 4 : Déjà-vu  
**Summary : **AU. After the events of _Countrycide,_ Ianto was retconned and allowed to start a new life in London. Intervening accidentally in a burning building, it's a very different man Jack meets four years later. But can Ianto really escape his own destiny?  
**Rating :**R

**Characters: **Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Myfanwy, Original characters.  
**Pairing :** Jack/Ianto, Owen/Tosh, Gwen/Rhys (mentioned), Ianto/Lisa (past)  
**Genres: **Alternate universe/action/romance.  
**Warnings: **Violence, swearing, sexual situation (nothing graphic), character's death (temporary)  
**Spoilers: **Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. _Exit wounds _and _Children of Earth _are only mentioned as incidents and _Miracle Day, _of course, never happened  
**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes **: It is now high time for the team to meet the "new" Ianto. You didn't really think that Jack could get rid of him so easily, did you?

Special thanks to my wonderful beta reader welsh_scotsman and all the lovely readers who favorited and reviewed or just took time to read it.

Thank to my **"guest" reviewer**, I'm glad you like my fireman!Ianto. Personally, I think he's a perfect action man and deserved better than to stay behind a desk. Chapter 5 is coming. J

**Chapter 4 : Déjà-vu**

_Cardiff, the next day, early afternoon_

Ianto took a sip of his coffee and couldn't help wincing at the bitterness of the beverage : this thing definitely didn't deserve the name of 'coffee'. 'Sump oil', maybe, but not 'coffee' .

He threw the beaker into a bin nearby and lit up another cigarette, his third since he had reached Cardiff two hours ago. At least, if he couldn't rely on coffee to soothe his nerves, nicotine would do. His hand holding the lighter shook slightly and he had to make two attempts. He took a long puff and rubbed his eyes wearily. He hadn't rested properly for two weeks and the lack of sleep was starting to take its toll.

There was no respite from the nightmares that filled his nights since he had left the hospital. Each time he closed his eyes and gave himself up to sleep, he was assaulted by disturbing images flashing in his head, then fading into the darkness, blurred and vivid at the same time, which left him screaming and panting in a tangle of sweat-drenched sheets.

Of course, he had already had nightmares. After some trying interventions, it wasn't unusual that he dreamt about it for a few days. But nothing similar.

When the first dreams had occurred, featuring images of Lisa, his first thought had been that his conversation with the so mysterious Captain Harkness had triggered something in his mind and he was recovering shreds of memories. Unfortunately, it had resulted in nothing. Apart from these horrendous nightmares, no clear memories had come back to him about his two missing years.

Then things had become even more confusing when Lisa had started to be replaced in his dreams by said Captain. Though he had no reason to dream of a man he barely knew, rather than his late fiancée, those dreams had become increasingly recurrent over time and now, there wasn't a night without the enigmatic Captain coming to haunt him.

So, after a while, he had started to wonder if by any chance this man wouldn't be linked, in one way or another, to his missing past. On second thoughts, his attitude at the hospital and the way he had literally vanished into thin air were more than enough to excite his curiosity. All the more so since the little he had discovered about the so-called Captain had proved to be really intriguing.

He knew it was farfetched, but as things stood, anything at all would do. And now he was here, back in Cardiff, looking for a man that didn't seem to exist, on the strength of more than doubtful information.

Ianto shook his head and flicked his fag-end into the bin. There really were times when he doubted his own sanity.

Leaving the Plass, he walked slowly towards Mermaid Quay. It was a sunny day and a sweet breeze was caressing the shore. It was lunchtime and the Plass was crowded with people going for a walk, shopping or heading to the numerous restaurants of the Bay.

Leaning again the guard rail and looking at the sea, Ianto tried to find something familiar around him, but the only memories that crossed his mind were about his youth, when he was still a teenager and went into town with his friends on Saturday afternoon, before his father died and he left for London. When he tried to think about the year he had spent there after Lisa's death, all he found was a black hole. No image, no sound, no smell. Nothing. As if he had died and been buried all that time, only to be resurrected in a bed at Saint Helen's Hospital.

For a while, he followed passers-by with his eyes, wondering if he had already met one of them or if someone in this crowd could recognize him. But once again there was no recollection and he gave up, focusing his attention on the quay down below.

After having driven all night long from London, he knew he should grab a few hours' sleep, but he was too nervous for that, so he might as well take his chances. From where he was standing, near the carousel, he had an unimpeded view of Mermaid Quay and the door of the disused annexe of Cardiff's Tourist Office at its end. If Captain Jack Harkness exited from there, he couldn't miss him.

It was really a beautiful day and Jack was in a good mood. Since he had come back from London, the Rift had been quiet. No massive invasion, no spaceship in distress, no ancient entity trying to infest half of the sewers. Thinking of it, even the Weevils were as good as gold. With the exception of some flotsam and jetsam here and there, he was bored to death. Something he wouldn't complain about.

Leaving the usual takeaway, he decided to invite his team to the restaurant for lunch. His proposition was enthusiastically welcomed and less than ten minutes later, the four of them headed to the Plass, debating what kind of food they would eat. Gwen wanted Italian, Owen wanted Indian and Tosh wasn't hungry. Jack was about to suggest they compromise with Chinese, when his good mood suddenly evaporated at the sight of the tall figure moving towards them from the end of the quay.

Following Jack's gaze, Owen froze instantly, imitated by the two girls. He grabbed Jack's sleeve and pulled him towards him.

"Bloody hell! What's he doing here?" he muttered into his ear.

Jack freed himself from his grip.

"Go back to the Hub with the girls, Owen, and let me deal with it. Ok?" he ordered, his eyes still fixed on the man before him.

"What the fuck Harkness? " hissed Owen, forcing the older man to turn towards him

"Owen, _please_." Jack's tone was as sharp as a blade and the two men confronted each other for a few seconds, before the medic finally lowered his eyes and went back to the Tourist Office, mumbling between his teeth. Tosh followed close on his heels without a word, whereas Gwen stayed beside Jack and tried to have a word with him :

"Jack, how…"

Jack didn't let her go further and cut her off.

"Go on, Gwen. I'll be back in a minute."

She hesitated a second then let out a resigned sigh and hurried to catch up with the others.

Meanwhile, Ianto had approached and Jack noticed he didn't limp anymore. He was dressed all in black, with a leather jacket, jeans and a pair of heavy leather boots, the only touch of colour coming from his t-shirt which was adorned with red abstract motifs. And Jack had to admit he was breathtaking.

"Hello!" greeted the young Welshman with a wavering smile and Jack noticed that he looked more tired than the last time he had seen him and that there were dark rings under his blue eyes.

"Hi. Mister…" replied Jack with a frown, feigning not to remember his name.

"Jones. Ianto Jones."

"That's right."

Ianto glanced towards the rest of the team who was going away hastily.

"I hope I didn't make your friends flee," he asked.

"They're busy. As am I. What can I do for you, Mister Jones," answered Jack coolly, crossing his arms across his chest.

Ianto was slightly put out by Jack's unfriendly attitude, but tried his best to ignore it.

"Please, call me Ianto. When I hear 'Mister Jones' I think of my father and it makes me feel like I'm eighty."

"As you wish. So, Mister… Ianto? As I said I'm busy, so if you could make it quick."

Without waiting for an answer, Jack started to stride towards the Plass, forcing Ianto to fall into step with him as they were speaking.

"Well, you left so quickly, last time. I wanted to be sure you were fine."

"I am. Anything else? "

"I also wanted to thank you. I…"

Jack stopped and turned back so abruptly that Ianto almost crashed into him.

"You already did. Now, why don't you stop making me waste my time and go straight to the point. I don't think you stalk all the people you rescue across half of the country to be sure they're fine. Am I wrong?"

Ianto's smile faltered and, in spite of himself, he adverted his eyes. All of the sudden, his intuition didn't seem enough of a reason to bother a perfect stranger and he felt like an idiot.

Before he could provide a decent explanation, Jack pulled the rug from under his feet.

"And besides, how did you find me? Last time I checked I wasn't in the phone book."

"I… I got your name, so I did some research…"

"Some research? Really? And you found me like that?" asked Jack slightly amused, snapping his fingers.

"No, not exactly. I found no man named Harkness in the US Air Force for the last thirty years and the only American Captain Jack Harkness on record was an American volunteer from the Royal Air Force, who is presumed dead since 1941."

"Please, don't tell me I look so old," chuckled Jack, cracking a smile despite himself. "So? How did you get here?"

In spite of himself Ianto squirmed under Jack's scrutiny. This man has a way of looking at him that had a knack of making him feel uneasy. He took a deep breath and forced himself to look straight in Jack's eyes.

"I've a friend who works in a ministry and owed me."

Jack raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything and Ianto carried on.

"I talked to him about you and he said I should check this place, without giving me further information. He sounded so certain that I thought I should at least try and…here I am."

Jack made a mental note to do some research about this too talkative state employee and thrust his hands into his pockets.

"Ok. So you've found me. As you can see I'm perfectly fine. I've been delighted to see you again, but here is where ours paths split. I wish you a good journey back to London. So goodbye."

With these words, he set off again towards the Plass.

For moment, Ianto stayed rooted to the spot, watching him go away. Once again, he was assaulted by a strange feeling of déjà-vu, as if it wasn't the first time he saw this great coat flapping in the wind. Pulling himself together, he ran after Jack and overtook him. Putting a hand onto his chest, he forced him to stop.

"Please. At least listen to me."

Jack looked down at Ianto's hand. Suddenly, he felt like Bill Murray in "The groundhog day", living the same day ever and ever. The same stubborn young man, in the same quay, again. Except this time, there was no mind-blowing coffee and he had to gather all his strength to refrain from kissing Ianto senseless.

He brushed the hand away with an exasperated sigh.

"Go on. And be quick."

Ianto took a deep breath and took the plunge.

"I don't know how to explain it, but there's something familiar about you. I know it looks crazy, but I was under the impression that… maybe... we might have met before. Maybe, here in Cardiff… four years ago. Were you already here?"

There was so much distress in Ianto's voice that it took all of Jack's will to look him straight in the eye and lie to him:

"No. We've never met before."

"Are you sure?" Ianto hesitated. "I mean you may have forgotten."

"Yes, I'm sure," maintained Jack firmly, lifting his chin defiantly. "Believe me, you aren't the kind of man I'd have forgotten."

They stared at each other for a moment, then Jack went on his way, the young man still tagging along after him.

"Why didn't you tell me you were from Cardiff?" insisted Ianto.

"You didn't ask me," replied Jack without turning around.

"I didn't have a chance to ask you anything. It was all about me. You asked me a lot of questions, but didn't tell me anything about you."

"I just tried to be polite and keep the ball rolling."

"If you say so. Why did you leave do fast?"

"I don't like hospitals."

"Me neither, but I don't run away from it like a thief."

Once again, Ianto overtook him and planted himself in front of him.

"Ok. If we had never met before, tell me why am I dreaming of you?"

Jack clenched his jaw. It was even worse than he expected.

"What can I say? I'm charismatic. Seriously, I don't know you. It's certainly just one of this PTSD stuff and it'll leave as it came. You've been a bit shaken and…"

"It had nothing to do with PTSD," shouted Ianto, flaring up. "You don't understand. I've never had dreams like these before. Never. Even after…"

_After what?_ wondered Jack._ Canary Wharf? The accident?_

However, Ianto didn't finish his sentence and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. His eyes wandered towards the sea as if he hoped to find there an answer there.

Jack decided it was time to put an end to this conversation. It led to nowhere and he needed peace and quiet to figure out what to do.

"What I understand is that you should get some rest. You look awful and your imagination is overacting. Go back home, Ianto. There is nothing for you here. I know it's hard for you, but you're fooling yourself and… "

Ianto clenched his fists.

"Don't pretend you know how I feel. You don't know anything," he said between his teeth, looking daggers at Jack.

Jack closed his eyes briefly and let out a sigh. _Oh, yes I know how it feels. I know it only too well._

"You're right," he said in a subdued tone. "I'm sorry. I can only imagine how it feels to lose two years of your life, but there is nothing I can do for you. I wish I could, but I can't… I'm really sorry."

Whereupon, he turned his back on Ianto and headed towards the water tower. Standing up in the middle of the Plass, arms dangling, the young man didn't follow him this time, but before Jack reached the pavement, he shouted out to him:

"Why isn't there any trace of you in the US Air force? What are you hiding Captain Harkness? You won't get rid of me so easily."

Jack did an about-turn and retraced his steps. He covered the short distance between them with long strides and pressed his index finger into Ianto's chest.

"This is none of your business, Mister Jones. Now, stop stalking me or I'll have to take measures."

"No! Really! Which kind?" challenged the Welshman, crossing his arms.

"Restraining order to start with, then other ones which, trust me, you won't enjoy. Let's get it straight: leave me alone, or I'll file a complaint for harassment and make sure you get kicked out of this town."

Ianto sniggered.

"I'd like to see that."

Jack shook his head with frustration He was aware that their fight was drawing attention to them and that some people were giving them wary looks.

"Why don't you return to London and go back to your pretty girlfriend. I'm sure she misses you," he said in a low voice.

Ianto gave him a puzzled look.

"Which girlfriend?"

Jack felt a surge of irritation. He didn't have time for such childishness.

"Oh, come on. The one who literally ate your face at the hospital. Don't tell me you don't remember."

"Jennie?"

"You see, you remember her name." He sounded more sarcastic than he intended to be, but he couldn't help feeling a bit jealous of the girl who shared Ianto's life now.

"Jennie isn't my girlfriend."

"One could be mistaken."

"That's true. She's just a friend. She was my flatmate when we were at the training centre."

"If all your friends snogged you…"

"Of course not. She's just a bit too enthusiastic sometimes. She…" He paused and shook his head. "I don't even know why I'm telling all this. I don't have to justify myself. I don't owe you anything."

"You're right," said Jack, so softly that Ianto barely heard him.

The sound of a siren rang out from a street nearby and he turned his head by reflex. When he turned back, Jack had already jumped on the invisible lift.

Swivelling round, Ianto scanned the Plass, but there wasn't any trace of the elusive Captain who had vanished into the air for the second time. He let out a stream of welsh curses and punch the air.

Once again, he had been had.

_To be continued_


	5. A so discreet hero

**Title : **Flame beneath ashes - Chapter 5 : A discreet hero  
**Summary : **AU. After the events of _Countrycide,_ Ianto was retconned and allowed to start a new life in London. Intervening accidentally in a burning building, it's a very different man Jack meets four years later. But can Ianto really escape his own destiny?  
**Rating :**T  
**Characters: **Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Myfanwy, Original characters.  
**Pairing :** Jack/Ianto, Owen/Tosh, Gwen/Rhys (mentioned), Ianto/Lisa (past)  
**Genres: **Alternate universe/action/romance.  
**Warnings: **Violence, swearing, sexual situation (nothing graphic), character's death (temporary)  
**Spoilers: **Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. _Exit wounds _and _Children of Earth _are only mentioned as incidents and _Miracle Day, _of course, never happened  
**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

**Author's Notes **: Special thanks to my wonderful beta reader welsh_scotsman for her unwavering support, to Jess729 for her help with the medical stuff and to all the readers who sent me so wonderful comments. Sorry, that it took me so long to update this fic. Real life has been really hard these days and for a moment, I experienced a writer's block :(. Anyway, this is the longest chapter I have ever written. Hope it's worth the wait.

**Chapter 5 : A so discreet hero**

As the invisible lift began its descent, three faces turned simultaneously towards him. Their expressions went from concern to disapproval and Jack felt a wave of weariness washing over him.

They were standing in the main area, Owen ahead, his arms crossed and frowning.

From where he was standing, Jack could see CCTV footage of the Plass still running on the screen of Owen's workstation. Although the video was on mute, he had no doubt they hadn't missed one single word of his argument with Ianto, thanks to Tosh's latest invention that allowed them to translate instantly lip movements on videos. Well, at least, it would spare him the trouble of having to relate the whole story to them.

Conspicuously ignoring them, he headed towards the workstation, his fists thrust into his pockets and a blank mask on his face.

Pressing a few keys, he flipped through the channels, until he found a camera directed towards where Ianto was sitting, puffing angrily on another cigarette whilst staring at the sea. Eyes locked on the screen and without bothering to turn around, he started to throw orders, in a cold and professional tone that he hoped would conceal his inner turmoil.

"Okay. Tosh, I want you to find everything you can about him, since he left Torchwood. Gwen, I want you to bug his mobile, his landline, any computer he could use at home and at work, his hotel room or wherever he's staying. I want to know how long he's been in Cardiff. If and or when he had planned to go back to London. I want also to know how he found me and if we had a security breach. In short: if he caught a cold, I want to hear him sneezing."

The silence that answered to him was deafening. Taking a deep breath, he turned slowly around and leant against the workstation with a heavy sigh, bracing himself to face the music.

As expected, it was Owen who opened fire.

"When did you intend to tell us?" the medic asked sternly.

Jack lifted his chin defiantly and frowned.

"Honestly? I didn't."

"Come on Jack. For God's sake," burst out Gwen. "How could you keep to yourself that you had met Ianto? You should have told us, as soon as you came back."

Jack shrugged noncommittally.

"There was nothing to say."

Gwen's eyes got wide. "Are you kidding?" Getting no answer, she took a deep breath and pressed her fingers into her temples.

"Jack, after the 456, I thought we had reached an agreement and there shouldn't be any secrets between us."

He nodded reluctantly and the young woman gave him an encouraging smile.

"Alright. So could you, at least, tell us, with simple words, what happened between the two of you in London? Because I have to admit that your little conversation was a bit… well, confusing for us."

Jack looked down at his feet and took a deep breath.

"There isn't much to say. I was on my way to the hotel, when I came across firemen trying to contain a fire in a building about to collapse. One of the firemen was trapped inside and I helped him to exit. We were both slightly injured and it was only once we were at the hospital that I realized this man was Ianto."

Owen raised an eyebrow. "A fireman?"

Jack snorted, "You look surprised."

"No offence, but I didn't actually see him as an action man."

"And you were wrong. Besides, you'll be happy to hear that, at first, he wanted to be a doctor."

Owen narrowed his eyes.

"How do you know?"

Jack fidgeted, uneasy and finally answered: "We…talked… a little, before I left."

"You _talked_? What need did you have to _talk_ to him?" barked Owen.

Jack cringed, his eyes still locked on the floor.

"I had to be sure he didn't remember anything… And he didn't."

Owen ran a hand in his hair with frustration ant started to pace furiously.

"Sure, and that's the reason why he's at our threshold now."

Jack tightened his jaws and sighed.

"He didn't show any sign of recollection. What was I supposed to do?"

Owen stopped pacing and glared at him.

"You could have started by keeping him under surveillance when you came back to Cardiff. And first of all, you should have told us, fucking hell!"

Jack rubbed his eyes wearily.

"Yes, I should have. Happy now?"

Owen sighed and shook his head.

"No, Jack," he said in a subdued tone. "I'll be happy when he is back in London, and I'm sure he doesn't remember anything about Jack Harkness, Torchwood and everything in touch with that bloody Rift."

Jack winced and Gwen pulled a face. Since the case with Max Tresilian and Suzy's second death, retcon had become a sensitive issue and they now only used it sparingly. Jack closed his eyes and clapped his hands together, resting the tip of his fingers against his forehead.

"I don't think we should worry ourselves. All he had are weird dreams and vague feelings of déjà-vu. Nothing tangible. It doesn't mean he's remembering."

Owen thrusted his hand into his jean pockets and slowly shook his head.

"Jack. I'd like to be as confident as you are, but he has already started to have flashbacks. Sooner or later, we're gonna have to retcon him anyway."

Jack sank into a chair and took his head in his hands. _Yeah. This way, he'll forget me. Once again. And once again, I'll remember._

"It doesn't need to be a huge dose," added the medic. "All we have to do is to erase the last two weeks, from the moment you ran into him. I know this isn't easy for you, Jack, but this is for Ianto's own good. We can afford to let him remember."

"I can do it, if it's easier for you," proposed Gwen, placing her hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture.

Jack didn't answer and a thick silence fell between them, only disturbed by the soft humming of the computers. He knew that Owen was right and he was taking a huge risk. But a part of himself still hoped that maybe all of it wasn't due to chance, that maybe... maybe…

"I got him!" Tosh's voice bounced against the walls of the main area, startling them.

Jack jumped onto his feet and hurried to join her, Owen and Gwen on his heels.

"All you have always wanted to know about Ianto Jones, without daring to ask," announced Tosh proudly, leaning back into her seat and making room for them.

"What did you find?" asked Jack, leaning over her shoulder.

"Well, first of all… it appears that his current address is at Canary Wharf."

"This guy is nuts," snorted Owen behind her.

"Hey!" scolded Gwen, giving him a light slap behind the head.

"What's your problem Cooper?" retaliated the medic. "Honestly, you'd live near the place where Rhys would have been killed?"

"It's not as if he can remember that," she replied. "Maybe it's just a way for him to stay near her. Personally, I find it rather romantic."

Owen sniggered. "Romantic… Whatever."

"Stop it," cut off Jack sternly. He wasn't in a mood for bearing another of their usual arguments. "What else, Tosh?"

She lifted her glasses on her nose and typed on her keyboard. A series of forms and official documents appeared in the screen.

"Well, after he left Saint Helen's hospital, he worked for three months as a barista in a very select club called 'The Ambassador'. It seems to be a sort of private club frequented by diplomats and politicians. According to his personal file, he was very appreciated as employee and the letter of recommendation they gave to him was eulogistic."

Jack nodded but didn't make any comment. This explained the friend in a ministry.

"What did he do after that? »

"That's where it starts to become interesting. On December 2006, he applied for the London Fire Brigade, where he was accepted. After four months of professional fire fighter's training at the LFB's specialist training centre in Southwark, he was posted to a fire station in the Southern Division, where he served his one-year period of probation. Then, he passed national examinations before being promoted to Crew Commander."

"No kidding," said Gwen, nudging Owen with a mischievous smirk. "Seems that actually he's not only an 'action man', but also a 'leader of men'."

Jack heard Owen muttering under his breath, but didn't pay attention to it. Suddenly things became a lot clearer. The young bewildered fireman he had seen before entering the building in fire had never been the man in charge; it was Ianto. And from what he had seen at the hospital, he wasn't only a leader, he was also appreciated by the men under his command.

Skimming through Ianto's eulogistic service records on the screen, he absently heard Gwen rolling her seat to her workstation and starting to type on her keyboard.

"Wow! Seems he was also a hero," she suddenly exclaimed.

"Sorry?" said Jack, dragging himself away from his reading.

She turned towards him and pointed at her screen.

"I found a short article about him in the Times, dating back to one and half years ago. It says he was decorated with the Queen's Gallantry Medal."

"I thought QGM was only awarded for exemplary acts of bravery," asked Owen, looking sceptical.

"It is," replied Tosh, dryly enough to make him cringe. "Why?"

"Nothing. I was just wondering... That's all," stammered Owen, holding his hands in a defensive gesture.

She scowled at him, then adjusted her glasses on her nose once again and resumed her researches.

More than anyone else, the young Japanese woman knew the courage Ianto was able to show when needed. Though, at the end, it was Jack who had saved them all from the cannibals, Ianto was the one who had risked his life to give her a chance to escape. She would never forget that and her worst regret would always be that she had never had a chance to thank him properly.

Gwen cleared her throat and moved on.

"According to the article, he was decorated for having rescued at risk to his own life, an illegal immigrant and her two children trapped in a warehouse in fire."

She opened a new window and the whole article showed up, illustrated by the photograph featuring Ianto wearing his ceremonial uniform and receiving his decoration. Jack approached in order to have a look at it and couldn't help noticing that the young man seemed a bit stiff and pale and wondered why he looked almost… sad.

Tosh's voice interrupted his musings.

"I've got the official report about the incident." As he came back to her, she started to give him an abridged version of the report.

"Apparently his team had a shout about a disused warehouse in flame. It was supposed to be abandoned and the building was already partially destroyed when they arrived on the premises, so they decided to contend with containing the fire and preventing it from spreading to the adjacent warehouses. But one of the firemen heard cries coming from the building. In fact, the warehouse was used as an illegal workshop. The owner had been informed of an imminent raid of the police and found it more practical to erase all proof by the fire, immigrants include."

Gwen winced and Owen shook his head with dismay. Jack remained stoic. He was too used to human's turpitude to react anymore.

"Ianto and four other men hurried inside the warehouse, but most of the victims were trapped in the basement and it was too late for them. They died suffocated by the toxic smoke. The whole place going up rapidly, the firemen were about to evacuate, when they heard a call for help from a sort of mezzanine above them. Ianto retraced his steps and found a woman and her two young children hidden in a technical room. It says he dragged them towards an emergency exit nearby and pushed them into the fire escape just before the floor collapsed… Oh no…"

Tosh looked up at Jack with wide eyes. His face was ashen and for a second, she thought he was about to be sick.

"What?" asked in chorus Owen and Gwen, who couldn't read what was on the screen from where they were standing.

As Jack didn't answer them, Tosh turned around and said grimly: "He didn't manage to escape before the floor collapsed under him. There aren't many details. All it says is that he was transported by helicopter to the nearest burns unit."

Owen stifled a curse and Gwen lifted her hand to her mouth.

"Can you get the medical report?" asked Jack with a hoarse voice.

"Of course. Give me one minute," answered Tosh, her fingers resuming their typing, as she was making her way through the healthcare system network.

"Here we are," she said as she broke through the last password protecting Ianto's medical file and opened it.

"Let me see."

Owen gently pushed her aside and started to flip through the medical reports, grunting and muttering under his breath.

"So?" asked Jack after a moment.

Owen leant back, took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"In short, he ended up with two broken ankles and third degree burns on about 15% of his body, mostly on his upper back and right shoulder and arm, needing a series of skin grafts. Oh, and he had also a couple of broken ribs into the bargain."

Jack sighed and closed his eyes.

'_I've never had dreams like these before. Never. Even after…'_

Even after, he nearly died in this warehouse. Even after, he spent months in a bed of pain. No need to wonder why he hadn't swallowed his story about PTSD. A sprained ankle could hardly be compared to what he had gone through.

"But he's fine, now isn't he?" asked Tosh with concern.

Owen nodded.

"Yep, except for the scars caused by the burns and grafts. According to the file, he got clearance after six months of intensive rehabilitation and convalescence. Which, by the way, is very short, given the severity of his injuries, but could be explained by…" He put his glasses and peered at the notes of Ianto's therapist, "I'm quoting…'the remarkable fighting spirit and exceptional responsiveness of the patient'."

Jack felt his heart swelling with pride.

He might be immortal, but Ianto finally seemed to be unbreakable. Falling again and again and every time, standing up, stronger than he was.

Gwen's computer emitted a 'bip', informing them that Ianto was making a call with his mobile. Almost immediately, a voice with a thick cockney accent rose in the air:

_"Sherman."_

_"Hi, Mike. It's Ianto."_

_"Hey! How're you, man?" _

Ianto chuckled.

_"Fine, fine. And you? You get to survive without me?"_

_"It's hard, but we manage. And you? How is your pilgrimage to Cardiff? Did you find the guy you were looking for?"_

_"Yeah, I found him."_

_"And?_

_"Seems it leads nowhere." _He paused for a second. _"I don't know. It's... weird. Two days ago, I'd have sworn I knew this man, but now... I'm not sure of anything."_

_"I'm sorry. What are you going to do, now?"_

Ianto sighed.

_"Given that he must take me for a madman and that he made it very clear that he no longer wanted to hear from me... Well, I think I may as well go home."_

_"Are you sure? You still have one week of vacation to take."_

_"Yep. I... I think I'll take the opportunity to visit my sister and the kids this afternoon and then I'll take the road again."_

_"As you wish. See you tomorrow, then."_

_"Yes. Bye, Mike."_

_"Bye."_

There was so much defeat and deception in Ianto's voice that Jack had to force himself not to rush out and tell him he wasn't crazy at all and there was nothing in the world that he wished more than to have him back in his life and his team. But he knew it was impossible. Ianto had a new life now and he had to go back to it.

"I guess it makes things easier," Jack whispered finally.

"Jack..." started Owen.

"No, Owen. I won't retcon him, unless it becomes absolutely necessary."

Owen opened his mouth to argue, but eventually changed his mind and merely nodded.

With one last glance at the CCTV footage of Ianto leaving the Plass, Jack turned on his heel and headed to his office.

"Keep an eye on him."

"Jack! Where are you going?" called out Gwen.

He stopped at the threshold of his office and gave her a weary look over his shoulder.

"Nowhere, Gwen. I'm going nowhere."

Then he slowly closed the door behind him.

Once alone in his office, he sank down his chair with a heavy sighed and absently switched on the CCTV from the main area, where his team had gathered around Tosh's workstation.

He didn't mean to spy on them, but they're his only family and he had already seen them die once, killed one by one by the Master. So, since he had come back from his disastrous trip with the Doctor, it had become a habit for him to keep an eye on them, whenever he could. Just to be sure they were safe.

"What are we doing now?" he heard Gwen ask.

Owen shrugged, leant against the desk and crossed his ankles.

"Wait and see what will happen, I suppose."

Tosh cleared her throat.

"Hmm. It's absolutely irrelevant… but, I've found something else about Ianto."

"What else?" grunted Owen, rolling his eyes with fake annoyance. "Don't tell me he's also a secret agent from MI6 and has saved the Queen's life from a terrorist attack."

Tosh shook her head and smirked mischievously, whilst Jack leant over, intrigued.

"Not that I know. But… according to his insurance agent, he's also the happy owner of a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S Sport."

Owen raised an eyebrow. "No kidding?"

"Wow. That's quite a monster," marvelled Gwen. "Rhys' friend, Scott, treated himself to one for his 40's birthday and offered me a ride. Believe me, it was mind-blowing".

Tosh nodded and winked at her.

"You can say it again. Look at that."

A video popped up on Tosh's screen. At the same time, Jack hit a key of his computer and his screen split in two, allowing him to watch it directly.

He had barely time to read the title, _My friend Ianto testing his new sextoy!_, before it started. However, he only needed few seconds for being reassured about its contents, when the face of a man appeared, which he recognized as being Ianto's colleague, Mike Sherman. The fireman waved at the camera with a grin, before panning and showing bleachers and a race circuit. The lens stopped on a group of men and women settled in the bleachers, who waved in turn at the camera.

Jack looked at the date on the bottom of the screen and found that it had been made only few weeks ago.

Mike turned the lens towards himself once again :

_"Ok, guys. So, here we are. Freezing our ass off too early in the morning, because my friend, Ianto, has a new toy and wants to find out what's in its guts. " _

He burst out laughing and glanced over his shoulder, before adding in confidence:

_"I shouldn't say it out loud, because he's also my boss, but I persist in thinking he'd rather be digging up a girlfriend for himself."_

The camera turned once again towards the circuit. As Mike went slowly downstairs and headed to the starting line, Ianto finally appeared in the screen and Jack's breath caught in his throat.

Looking so hot definitively shouldn't be allowed.

Wearing a black Kevlar® overall, the young man was straddling a huge and gleaming black motorbike. His forearms resting on the helmet put between his thighs, he was staring intensely at the asphalt ribbon stretching in front of him, all his being radiating earnestness and concentration. Obviously already engulfed in his forthcoming race, he didn't react at his friend's arrival.

Jack glanced at his co-workers on the other side of the screen and couldn't help chuckle, when he saw them gaping like goldfishes. Honestly, he couldn't blame them for that. The confident man standing before their eyes at that moment couldn't be further from the shy young man they had known a few years earlier.

_"Hey Boss!" _shouted Mike.

Ianto snapped out of his reflection and turned towards him. His face broke into a bright smile and he lifted his hand to greet him.

In spite of himself, Jack couldn't help feeling a bit jealous and found himself wondering what kind of relationship was between the two of them. After all, Ianto had denied having a girlfriend, but what about a boyfriend?

Immediately, he pushed those thoughts away. Who was he to be jealous? He wasn't a part of Ianto's life anymore. Never had been. Shaking his head, he brought his attention back on the screen where a man wearing a boiler suit had approached Ianto. The young man put his helmet and made one last waving, before starting the engine and making it roaring. At the signal, the motorbike dashed out, leaving a trail of smoke behind it.

Jack watched with amazement how Ianto rode his machine, negotiating each curve with control, accelerating all the way into the straights. His heart skipped a bit when the motorbike suddenly swerved into a hairpin bend and Ianto was forced to decelerate to regain control, before reaccelerating more than ever.

It shouldn't have surprised him, though. Whatever he undertook, Ianto seemed always eager to achieve excellence and determined to give himself the means for it. Following the camera's movements, Jack made an effort to silence the little voice in his head, which was whispering what an asset such a driver would be to his team.

As Ianto's finally crossed the arrival in a deafening roaring, the camera focused briefly on the display panel over the finish line, proudly announcing in luminous letters: "Record of the Year: 4' 38 '52.". An explosion of joyful shouts saturated the loudspeakers and Jack couldn't repress a faint smile. Mike's camera followed the young man as he made an abrupt U-turn and came back to his friends who were going down the bleachers to congratulate him and celebrate his victory. The video froze on an image of Ianto taking off his helmet and yelling his joy, a bright smile on his face.

Jack felt a stab of pain in his chest.

_This_ was what Ianto's life should be: filled with a reasonable amount of thrill and danger, surrounded by friends. _This_ was what Ianto needed, what he deserved. And the only way for Jack to provide it to him was to let him go, once again.

With a sigh, he switched off the CCTV, leant back into his chair and closed his eyes.

_To be continued_

_**Guest :** You're right : Ianto is a bit daredevil. The events that happened to him after he took retcon, certainly helped him to relativize and dare more things._


	6. The proposition

**Title: **Flame beneath ashes - Chapter 6: The proposition  
**Summary: **AU. After the events of _Countrycide,_ Ianto was retconned and allowed to start a new life in London. Intervening accidentally in a burning building, it's a very different manJack meets four years later. But can Ianto really escape his own destiny?  
**Rating: **T  
**Characters: **Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Owen Harper, Toshiko Sato, Myfanwy, Original characters.  
**Pairing:** Jack/Ianto, Owen/Tosh, Gwen/Rhys (mentioned), Ianto/Lisa (past)  
**Genres: **Alternate universe/action/romance.  
**Warnings: **Violence, swearing, sexual situation (nothing graphic), character's death (temporary)  
**Spoilers: **Spoilers for seasons 1 and 2. _Exit wounds _and _Children of Earth _are only mentioned as incidents and _Miracle Day, _of course, never happened  
**Disclaimer: **All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended. 

**Author's Notes **: A short interlude dedicated to Tosh and Owen's fans, before moving on to serious things regarding Jack and Ianto. After the nightmare that was the previous chapter, writing this one was a piece of cake. Special thanks to my wonderful beta reader welsh_Scotsman and to my lovely readers.

TW TW TW TW TW

**Chapter 6 : The proposition**

_Cardiff, the same day, later on the afternoon_

Hearing a soft knock on his office door, Jack raised his eyes from the paperwork he was working at clearing away his desk for the last two hours, mainly in a vain attempt to dispel the memory of Ianto's smile in the video.

"Come in."

Seeing Owen and Tosh slipping into the room one after the other, he threw his pen onto his desk and leant back into his seat with an weary sigh, ready to face up to a new salvo of good sense and advices. He was just surprised that they were the ones who had taken the job. He would have rather seen Gwen playing the role of Gemini Cricket and trying to convince him to retcon Ianto before he came back to London. Then he remembered that Gwen had asked him to leave early this afternoon in order to get to any family celebration, a birthday, if he remembered well.

"We need to talk," tackled Owen, without preamble.

Jack felt a surge of aggravation rising and immediately lifted a hand to stop him.

"Alright, Owen. I had my share of talking for today. Thanks. Don't worry: I got the message. The incident is solved. Ianto will go back to his life and we'll do likewise and keep an eye on him, just in case. So if you don't mind…"

He took his pen back, making them known that the conversation was over.

"It's not about Ianto," replied Owen, before taking a deep breath, as Tosh hung back and chewed her lower lip nervously. "It's about us."

Jack felt the tension flew back and a large smile spread on his face. _Here we are. _He chuckled, at the sight of their puzzled faces. Having pity on them, he made the first move.

"By _us_, I suppose you mean Tosh and you are having an affair. You're a little late, Owen. It's been over a month since I knew it and I think Gwen has heavy suspicions too. Besides, it wasn't as if you were really discrete. So, if there's nothing else..."

"Tosh is pregnant," came out Owen bluntly, taking Tosh's hand on his and squeezing it tightly.

Jack put down his pen once again and crossed his fingers on his paperwork, an unreadable expression on his face.

"_This_, on the other hand, is rather unexpected. And this happy event is scheduled for..."

"Approximately six months."

Jack was silent for a moment, before adding with a sigh:

"Well I guess I should call Martha and ask her to come as soon as she can."

"Why?" protested Owen immediately. "I can handle that. I treated Gwen when she was pregnant, and I don't remember any complaints."

Jack smiled mischievously.

"Yes, but unless I'm mistaken, I don't think you were Gwen's baby's father, were you?"

Owen rolled his eyes.

"Of course, not."

"And isn't there something in your code of ethics of you doctors, that prohibits you from treating your own family?"

Owen grunted noncommittally and Jack's smile widened.

"So, we agree that we need to appeal to another doctor. Moreover, I think Martha's our best choice. She's very capable, accredited by UNIT and Tosh and she already know each other." He paused and glanced at her. "If it's ok with you, of course."

The young woman nodded: "Fine for me."

Jack leant back into his chair.

"Alright. So I'll call her at the crack of dawn tomorrow." He paused and mused for a second. "We should perhaps consider the idea of a crèche. That would give a new meaning to the expression "engaged at the cradle", don't you think?"

He took another file on his desk and flipped through it distractedly, before adding:

"Speaking of that, we'll also need to make some recruitment in order to make up for your unavailability. Tosh would you be nice enough to draw up for me a list of the most promising graduates of the year from the Faculty of Medicine. Someone with medical knowledge could be useful."

"What? Are you intending to fire me?" shouted Owen

Jack lifted his chin and frowned.

"Of course not. But, honestly, you don't really think we're going to continue to work with only four people, when Tosh is pregnant and once she gives birth?"

"Why not? Gwen had Anwen and you didn't hire anyone."

"Exact. And do you know why? Because Rhys is a real mother hen who can work at distance and stay at home whilst his wife's hunting aliens across the city. Stop me if I'm wrong, but I do not think you can afford to do that."

Owen groaned and cocked his head, but he had to admit that Jack was right. Without being actually part of the team, Rhys had proved to be very useful and available any time they had needed his help.

"I'm glad that you finally share my point of view. Don't worry, Owen. You'll get a say in the recruitment."

He flashed them a quick smile.

"By the way, congratulations. I'm very happy for you," he added, before returning to his paperwork.

As his two subordinates didn't move, he looked up and raised his eyebrows.

"Anything else?"

"No. It's just that…" Owen squirmed. "We didn't expect you to be so… enthusiastic."

"Why?" asked Jack, vaguely offended.

Tosh cleared her throat.

"Well… When you picked me up in UNIT's prison, you made it very clear that I had to work for at least five years for Torchwood, before the charges against me were definitely dropped, and -"

"And?" Jack gave her a bewildered look.

"The five years aren't over," finished Owen lamely.

Jack blanched and his hand holding the pen gripped it so tightly that his knuckles were white, but he tried his best to keep his voice low and steady.

"I also think I said that any contact with your family was forbidden. But I don't think I've ever prevented you from seeing them."

Tosh lowered her eyes self-consciously.

"I know and I'm very grateful to you, it's just that..."

Jack brutally pushed back his chair, stood up and went to stand in front of the ancient circular window overlooking the main area. His voice was full of restrained anger and hurt.

"For about a century I was _forced_ to work for Torchwood and to do things I didn't want to, because _I _was threatened to be thrown in jail for the rest of my life, if I didn't do it."

He paused and stared at the water tower through the window, hands crossed behind his back.

"I only said it to you because there were unfriendly ears listening, and I wanted to get you out of there. I had _never_ intended to keep you on a leash. You're free to leave whenever you want. No retcon, no reprisals, no return to jail. Of course, that goes for both of you. "

"We don't intend to leave," Owen assured him immediately, feeling slightly ashamed for having doubted his boss.

"I'm glad to hear it," said Jack without turning around.

Eager to escape the awkwardness of the situation, Owen hastily retreated towards the exit, taking Tosh along with him.

"Well, it's getting late. I think we're gonna let you work, now. We took up too much of your time."

"Yeah. See you tomorrow then."

"Have… a good night, Jack." Tosh wished him hesitantly.

"Tosh…"

She stopped with her hand on the door's handle.

"Yes?"

He had turned around and stared at her, arms crossed on his chest.

"I…It's just… I really hope you didn't stay with us only because you thought you had to."

She retraced her steps and came back to him. Rising herself on tiptoes, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"No, Jack. I didn't," she said with a soft smile, that Jack immediately returned to her.

She patted his forearm, then left the room and caught up with Owen.

TW TW TW TW TW

"Don't you think that, maybe, we're making a mistake?" she asked once they were back into the main area.

Owen, who was busy stuffing his things into his rucksack, froze on the spot.

"You... You have doubts?" he asked grimly.

Tosh gave him a puzzled look.

"What?"

He ran a hand though his hair and diverted his eyes.

"I mean, about us and the baby..."

"No! Of course, not," she hastened to say, wrapping her arms around his neck to kiss him.

He couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief and hugged her back tightly.

"I was talking about Ianto. Maybe we should… I don't know. I can't help thinking that we should have handled it differently."

"And how do you want to handle it? Everything we could do has been done."

"But he looked so sad. Maybe we should tell him only a part of the truth to give him something to hold on."

"And which part do you want to tell him? How his girlfriend was in fact half-converted by the cyber men? How he tried to treat her and resorted to hims shagging his boss in order to divert his attention? Or maybe how we finished her off, after she killed two innocent people?"

She pulled a face.

"Of course, if you put it that way."

Owen sighed and tightened his hold.

"Tosh, I know you mean well, but it's too dangerous for him to remember. Besides knowing the truth wouldn't bring Jack and him together, on the contrary. He didn't forgive Jack for killing Lisa and there's no more reason why he should forgive him by now."

"I know. It's just that… Jack didn't cope well the last time, so..."

"Didn't cope well?" Owen couldn't help snorting. "He didn't cope at all. Scouring all the back alleys of the town and shagging every ass within reach isn't what I call a way to cope."

She tilted her head and glared at him.

"How do you… Owen! I can believe that you stalked him!"

"What? Didn't want to have to scrub his brain from his office's wall once again. Having to do it after Jasmine's case was enough..."

It took him half of a second to realize what he had just said, as Tosh's eyes got wider.

"You _knew_!"

She shoved him away.

"Tosh, I can explain…" he started, but she didn't listen to him and cut him off, pointing an accusative finger towards him.

"All this time, you knew and you didn't tell me anything!"

She started to paced furiously and suddenly turned around, hands on her hips.

"It means that when you shoot him before we opened the rift, you knew Jack was immortal, didn't you!"

Owen ran a hand through his hair and shook his head.

"Obviously, I knew. For God's sake, Tosh. I'm a doctor. I treat people, I don't kill them in cold blood."

She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh of exasperation, before shaking her head and resuming her pacing.

"I can't believe it! First Gwen, then you. And none of you even considered it could be relevant to tell me about it."

Owen put a hand onto his chest and lifted the other towards Jack's office, raising his voice for the first time.

"Bloody hell! I couldn't! Jack didn't want me to tell someone and, besides, I didn't even know about Gwen, before she told us after Abaddon."

He grabbed her by the shoulders and gently forced her to stop and to look at him.

"Love, I'm a doctor and Jack is my patient. A very uncanny patient I agree, but a patient nevertheless. I had no right to broadcast his… state, if he didn't want me to. And, believe me, he didn't. I'm sorry if I hurt you, because I didn't intend to. But, it wasn't my secret and I had to keep it for myself and respect Jack privacy. Besides, I don't think that, at that time, Ianto knew Jack's condition either, so you don't have to take it personally."

He pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her waist. As she didn't try to escape his embrace, he rested his cheek against her forehead.

They stayed silent for a moment, until Tosh lifted a corner of her mouth into a smirk and finally spoke.

"Well, I supposed things were very different between us at that time, so I shouldn't feel offended that you kept it from me. At least, if it proves something, it's that you're good at keeping others' secrets." She paused and her expression went to the one of a cat about to crunch a little bird. "Better that at keeping your own secrets, anyway."

Owen frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I was thinking that, now that we've talked to Jack, you might as well go and get the ring that you're hiding in the trunk of your car for two weeks. If, of course, this is for me."

Owen's jaw almost hit on the floor.

"What? How…"

Tosh smiled at him mischievously and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I found the receipt from the jeweller in your trousers' pocket and…" She kissed him lightly on the lips. "…I only assumed you were waiting for the good moment to offer it to me and, maybe, ask me a certain question." She planted another kiss onto his lip and her smile widened. "Was I right?"

"Yes, yes…of course, "stammered Owen completely taken aback. "It's just that I wasn't sure of what your answer would be and…"

She shook her head and gave him a fond smile.

"And how do you intend to be sure of it, if you never ask me, idiot?"

A bright smile slowly spread on Owen's face and he lifted his index finger in front of her face.

"I… I… One minute. Just give me one minute."

Freeing himself from her embrace, he dashed towards the underground car park, whilst she perched herself on her desk and crossed her ankles. Before he reached the lift, he turned around and shouted through the main area.

"Whatever you do, please, don't move, ok?"

She shook her head and laughed.

"I won't go anywhere, I swear."

And indeed, she hadn't move an inch when Owen came back from the car park, five minutes later, out of breath and his heart pounding like a drum. Planting himself in front of her, he sank to one knee, presenting her with a red velvet box, which he pushed open to reveal a sparkling sapphire and diamonds ring. He tried to gulp down the lump in his throat, but his voice was still rough when he told to her:

"Toshiko Sato, I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Do you want…" He had to clear his throat, unable to carry on at the sight of the tears rolling down her cheeks. "Do you want to marry me and spend the rest of your life with me?"

By way of answer, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him fiercely, almost knocking him over. After a long minute, Owen finally managed to extricated himself and couldn't help asking, just to be sure :

"Is that a yes?"

"Definitively a 'yes', Doctor Harper," answered Tosh, wiping her tears away before kissing him once again, this time more tenderly, but with just as much passion.

TW TW TW TW TW

Jack couldn't help smiling and feeling his heart swelling with love at the sight of the two fiancés lost in their kiss.

He hadn't miss a second of the scene and was really glad they had finally found each other for good. Both of them deserved to be happy and all he could regret was that it took them so long to admit their feelings.

Sadly, on the other hand their happiness only made his own loneliness more distressing. Gwen had Rhys and Anwen. Owen and Tosh had each other and would soon become parents too. It was nice, but what did it left to him? An endless life of loneliness, without anyone at his side?

His musing was interrupted by an alert signal coming from his computer. He moved away from the window and looked at the screen. The signal was coming from a distant part of Bute Park and the data seemed to indicate a lonely Weewil out enjoying himself.

Giving up the idea of disturbing the bliss of the two lovers below him, he grabbed the SUV's key on his desk and his coat from the coat stand.

A good rise of adrenaline couldn't hurt and, perhaps, afterwards, he could go to the _Neon Club _and find some pleasant company with whom spending the rest of the night.

When the SUV left the car park with a screech of wheels few minutes later, Jack was still too lost in his thoughts to realize he was tailed.

_To be continued_


End file.
